Trapped
by MasterThief94
Summary: When ex-con Neal Caffrey is cornered and shot, Peter must find out who did this and why...before they strike again, trying to settle their now unfinished business with Neal. -No slash. More like a father-son or brotherly affection. Also has whumpage.-
1. Ambushed

**Okay, so I had to transfer all my old stories from my former account, XxFallenStorms, onto this account because for some odd reason, I can't log into my old account So, here is _Trapped_, and on my profile, you'll find some other stories, both old and some work-in-progress ones. Anyway, would love to hear from you, and enjoy!**

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_**Trapped**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_**Neal-**_

Neal Caffrey's breath was coming out in ragged gasps as he fled from the two men following him.

_Breathe Neal._

The words of Neal's friend and partner flickered in his mind. He sucked in a deep breath and held it for a moment, trying to slow his heart rate so his breathing would return to normal. He let out his breath as he turned the corner, and froze, staring at the handgun that was aimed at his face. He backed up a couple of steps, only to collide with the two men who had been following, no, herding him.

"Where is Agent Peter Burke?" The person in front of Neal, a female, spoke to the men behind the young man, her eyes, and gun, never leaving his face.

"Don't know." Came the reply, and Neal was glad he had insisted that Peter go home to spend time with his wife, something he didn't have enough time to do now-a-days because of Neal. It wasn't right, not fair, so Neal had insisted Peter go home, and after much arguing, Peter had eventually given in and driven away, Neal waving a goodbye to him before he started walking. He blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as the girl stepped forward, the gun now pointed and pressing against Neal's chest.

"Where is Agent Peter Burke?" This time, the question was directed to him. The young man's blue eyes narrowed as he glared at the girl. He would not betray his friend. Not to her, not to anyone. Never. The young man's eyes flashed defiance and he lifted his head, holding it high.

"Nothing you can do can make me say." He replied, his voice was cold as he addressed the girl. His only concern right now was the safety of his friend and his friend's wife. His own safety was in the very back of his mind. The girl's eyes narrowed and she flashed a dangerous smile.

"Pity. We could have used you, but we don't need you." She said, before the report of a gun sounded. Neal swayed, before he collapsed to the ground, a red stain spreading across his shirt.

"Leave him." He heard the girl say, laughing as she did so. "So much for the great Neal Caffrey." She sneered, still laughing, leaving with her companions after she made sure Caffrey wouldn't be able to get up anytime soon. Soon, Neal Caffrey's mind swirled into darkness.

_Neal? Neal!_

**Peter-**

Peter had been driving home, and was almost there, when he started feeling extremely anxious. He had a bad feeling from the moment he had left Neal. It seemed like whenever he left the young man, harm came to his friend and partner, and now he had the feeling of pure dread strike him.

He's an adult Peter, he can take care of himself. He thought to himself sternly, though he was not able to shake the feeling of unease. Within a few minutes, his phone started ringing.

"Burke." He said, answering the phone. His face paled slightly. "Where was his last location?" Peter nodded and hung up, only to make a phone call to his wife, Elizabeth Burke. He got her voice mail. "Hey honey. I'm going to be late. Think Caffrey is in some sort of trouble. Love you. Bye." He clicked the end button and tossed his phone down, beginning the drive back to where he had left Neal.

(Half an hour later...)

Peter slammed the car door and began to walk up the darkened road, his eyes scanning the deserted alleyway. According to Jones, Neal had been here last, and so Peter looked for any signs of Neal and if he was still there. His foot nudged something, and he bent to pick it up. It was Neal's favorite fedora! He had been here! Peter looked around, and there, in the shadows, he spotted a figure laying on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding him. He let out a gasp and rushed over. It was Neal. He saw his friend's eyes roll up into the back of his head and he watched as Neal went totally limp, his face pale white, at the same time, he cried out.

"Neal? Neal!" Peter yelled, phone in hand as frantically dialed _9-1-1_.

"9-1-1, state your emergency."

"My friend has been shot in the chest. He's unconscious, I'm not sure how long he has been injured like this...there's so much blood everywhere..." Peter's voice was pitched with fear and worry.

"Alright sir, calm down and give me your location." Peter gave the location, though he did not calm down as he threw the phone aside, placing both hands on the wound, trying to stop the flow of blood. His heart was pounding as he watched in horror as Neal's lips tinted blue. Peter heard sirens, announcing the ambulances arrival.

"Don't die on me Neal...wake up...wake up Neal!" Peter's voice was hushed from his terror, his hands shaking as a paramedic joined him at his side, checking Neal's vital signs.

"No pulse and he isn't breathing!" The paramedic yelled, starting to perform CPR on Neal as an icy wave of shock anf fear washed through Peter. He blinked, trying to get through the numbing shock that was clouding his mind, unaware or the wetness that was spilling from his eyes.

_Neal can't be dead! He can't be! I don't want another partner, I want Neal!_ He thought frantically, his mouth opening. "Come back Neal!" His voice was like a growl.

"CLEAR!" Peter blinked. He hadn't noticed other paramedics had brought a defibrillator and were using it on his friend. "CLEAR!"

Peter watched as Neal's body jerked, and his hand twitched, clenching into a fist.

"We have a pulse! His heartbeat is irregular though, we have to get him out of here...and quickly!" The paramedic cried, and within minutes, Neal was in the ambulance. Peter rose to his feet quickly and dashes after Neal and the paramedic, scrambling inside the ambulance just before the door closed. The paramedic glared at Peter, but he didn't care. Neal was his partner, his friend, he was like a son to him.

"I'm going with him." Peter said, his voice firm, his eyes steady until the paramedic sighed unhappily but nodded his acceptance. Then his gaze slid to Neal, and he noticed that his friend's forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat, causing his hair to stick to his forehead. He reminded Peter of an innocent child, and once again, he was glad that Neal hadn't cracked like so many other cons had. Some had gone insane, others had killed themselves, and others just plotted for revenge...not Neal though, he understood people. He was a fighter, and good at what he did, both the bad from his past and the good from the present. He saw Neal's hand shift, and grip his hand lightly, tapping out a message he recognized to be in Morse Code.

_P-E-T-E-R_

Then, Peter watched as Neal's hand went limp, falling to his side as the young man fell unconscious.


	2. Revenge

_**Chapter 2**_

**Peter-**

Peter was pacing the hospital's "waiting room", feeling nervous. Neal had been admitted into the Emergency Room, had been in the operating room for three hours, and they were still working on him! He rubbed the back of his head. This was all his fault. If he hadn't let Neal talk him into going home early to see Elizabeth, his friend wouldn't have been shot, wouldn't have been in the hospital, he would have been safe. Peter cursed himself mentally as he continued his pacing. He was tired, but he wanted...needed to be awake when the doctor came out with the news of his friend.

As if the thought of the doctor had summoned him, a tired looking man who went by the name of Dr. Paul Gray, walked into the room. "Neal Caffrey?" He asked. Peter's head snapped towards the doctor, fixing brown eyes the other man, his gaze filled with worry and fear as he walked over to him.

"I'm Agent Peter Burke, Neal's partner. How is he?" He asked, a tightness in his chest as he waited for the reply.

"We lost him twice on the table, but his condition is stable right now. He lost a great deal of blood." Dr. Gray said. Peter felt the tightness in his chest loosen a tiny bit.

"I'm going to see him. What room is he in?" Peter said, watching in dismay as the doctor shook his head.

"I can't let you see him yet. He needs rest, besides, it is late, you should head home." The doctor said softly, his eyes holding a sympathetic look as Peter's brown eyes flashed with anger.

"Look, Neal is an FBI Consultant, he is my friend, he is my partner, he is practically family. There is nothing that is going to stop me from seeing him right now! WHERE IS HIS ROOM?" Peter snapped, prodding the doctor in the chest in his anger. He saw the doctor go pale, and after a few long moment, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Room 402."

Peter gave a last glare at the doctor before he started walking down the hall, coming to a stop in front of the room that held his friend, his partner, Neal Caffrey. He hesitated for a moment before he walked in, his gaze automatically drawn to Neal's still form. Again, as Peter stared at him, he was reminded of the innocent child, and again, Neal felt a wave of guilt flood through him. He walked over to Neal and grabbed his hand gently.

"Neal?" He asked quietly, and felt Neal's hand shift in his grip. He blinked, stunned for a moment. "Neal?" He asked again, and again, Neal's hand shifted, and then he felt a light tapping on his hand. Morse Code, and yet Neal hadn't opened his eyes, Peter had no way of knowing if Neal was unconscious or not. It wouldn't be the first time Neal had been able to talk to him through Morse Code while he was still unconscious, and how he did it, Peter had no clue.

_P-E-T-E-R_

_N-E-A-L-H-O-W-D-O-Y-O-U-F-E-E-L_

_I-V-E-H-A-D-B-E-T-T-E-R-D-A-Y-S_

_I-M-S-O-R-R-Y_

_N-O-T-Y-O-U-R-F-A-U-L-T_ Neal's hand quivered for a few minutes before it continued tapping. _Q-U-I-T-B-L-A-M-I-N-G-Y-O-U-R-S-E-L-F_

Peter blinked, wishing his friend didn't know him so well. He let out a soft sigh, watching as Neal's eyes flutter open for a few seconds, blue eyes blinking for a few seconds, looking straight at him, before his eyes closed and his head tilted to the side, his hand going limp in Peter's as Neal fell unconscious. He stayed there for a long while, just watching the young man breath, the only thing making any real sound was the monitors telling him how his friend was doing. He looked around, spotting a chair nearby. Not the most comfortable looking thing, but right now, Peter refused to leave Neal. He lightly patted the younger man's leg before he walked over to the chair and sat down in it, his eyes closing, and within a few minutes, a light snore rose from the FBI agent's lips.

**Neal-**

Neal Caffrey was dreaming.

_Pain blossomed in his side as a fist rained blows down on him. He lifted his blue gaze to try to catch a glimpse of his tormentor's face, but all he saw was a fist flying towards him, and then felt pain in his face as he heard the sharp crack of his nose as it broke. He let out a muffled groan of pain._

_"Bring his friend in!" A voice ordered...was that female? Neal blinked, lifting his head to watch through swollen eyes as Peter was dragged in, unconscious._ _**Noooo! Peter! You shouldn't have come! **__The words howled in his mind before he heard a sharp click as one of his tormentors aimed a gun at Peter._

_"NO!" He cried, leaping forward despite the fact that his hands and feet were bound. He heard the report of a gun go off..._

Neal jerked awake, gasping in terror, and a thin sheet of icy sweat covering his face. After a few moments, his eyes focused on a pair of concerned brown eyes in front of him.

"Neal? You're awake! You ok?" He heard his friend say, and though Neal could not get the image of Peter just...laying there, out of his head, Neal nodded.

"Y..ye...ah..." Neal wasn't ok though, he was terrified, though he wouldn't let Peter know that. Heck, he could be dying and he'd say he was fine. That was how it was with him. "H...how long...?" Neal asked, gazing up at his friend.

"Four days." Neal blinked in shock. He had been in the hospital for four days? No wonder his voice sounded so raspy! His eyes flickered to a figure as she walked through the door, carrying two cups filled with coffee. It was Elizabeth Burke, Peter's wife. He flashed her a smile and watched as she grinned back at him.

"You're awake! Peter and I were worried sick about you!" She exclaimed. Neal blinked, feeling all fuzzy inside. It was nice to know that he had people who cared about him...friends. Peter cleared his throat.

"Neal...do you know who did this to you?" He asked, gazing at his partner. Neal shook his head faintly, wishing he could tell his friend that he did know who had attacked him, but he didn't.

"No. Sorry Peter." He apologized. Peter let out a soft sigh.

"You don't remember anything?"

"I know that there were three people, one girl and two men. The girl's hair was a light blond color and she had dark brown eyes while the two men had dark brown or black hair, but other than that I don't remember, didn't get a good enough look at them."

"Well, when we find them..." Peter's voice trailed off, but Neal got the message. The girl and the two men were screwed. His lips twitched in a faint smile, but he closed his eyes, still tired, and within moments, he was asleep.

It had been a few days, but finally, Neal Caffrey was allowed to finally leave the hospital, and he couldn't have been more glad. He found the hospital very boring, yeah, he knew he had almost died from a gunshot wound, and that the doctors had saved him, but that didn't mean the hospital was a boring place.

Neal chuckled slightly, remembering how Peter had insisted that he drive Neal to his apartment, just as Neal had insisted Peter go spend time with his wife a week ago. He shook his head slightly, smiling to himself as he unlocked the door to his apartment. Peter had told Neal off for being so careless, and that he had to be more careful when he was alone, but Neal had understood why Peter acted the way he did. He was being Peter, just showing Neal that he had been worried. He walked in and closed the door before he flicked on the lights. The apartment seemed unusually dark.

He gave a small frown as the lights didn't come on. Had there some power-outage? Neal frowned, no...that didn't seem right. There was something wrong here. Very very very bad. As his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, he grabbed his phone and dialed Peter's number just as a voice spoke.

"I'm surprised to see you alive Neal Caffrey."

The young man stiffened in shock, and he didn't register to Peter's voice on the other line of the phone. Oh, he knew he was there all right, but Neal wouldn't take the chance to reply to his partner, in case Peter was somehow found and hurt. Instead he did the only thing that made sense. He pushed the speaker button and willed Peter to stay quiet.

"I bet you are." He replied to the voice as a bright light flashed in his eyes, temporarily blinding him. Where had all the light come from? He felt strong hands grip him from behind and he automatically began struggling, finding it hard to breathe as the grip tightened around his chest. "Get your hands off me!" He yelled, fighting to break free as he looked around, his vision returning to normal. He almost did when a fist came out of nowhere. It smashed into his temple, and the young man went totally limp, slumping to the floor as the phone dropped out of his hands.

"You know where to take him." The female said coldly. It was she who had spoken first, saying she was surprised to see the ex-con alive. She stared at the phone for a moment as her accomplices obeyed her orders, dragging Neal Caffrey away. She then picked up the phone and saw who Neal had called. She chuckled darkly. "Hello Peter. I do trust you can remember who I am."

She heard Peter gasp, and she knew he had recognized her voice. Her lips twitched into a dark smile as she heard Peter shouting at her through the phone. _"If you hurt one hair on his head I swear you will regret it for the rest of your miserable life!"_

"Nonsense Peter. Why would I hurt Neal Caffrey. Oh wait, I remember. To show you how it feels to know that your best friend and partner is gone forever! Truth be told, at first, I just wanted to kill you, but this seems far better." She chuckled, ending the call with that. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a card, her personal calling card. Just something left behind to annoy the feds. She placed in in Neal's phone and snapped it shut before she left the room.

On the card was the girl's first two initials. S.S. And under that were two words. Sasha Storm. The whole thing was written in beautiful calligraphy, and as Sasha got into the car with Jason and Mark, the two men helping her, and an unconscious Neal Caffrey, she smiled to herself. Finally, after all the long years of hunting down and observing Peter Burke, she would get her revenge...


	3. Beaten

_**Chapter 3**_

**Neal-**

"Wake him up." The voice was cold, but definitely female, and it her voice barely registered in Neal Caffrey's clouded mind before the sharp sting of someone slapping him jerked him out of his semi-conscious state. He let out a small groan, blinking until his blue gaze finally managed to focus on a pair of dark brown eyes in front of him. At first, he thought it was Peter, but the eyes held no hint of worry or fondness in them. Instead, they gazed at Neal Caffrey in disgust. Soon, his gaze sharpened as he shook off the clinging threads of unconsciousness, and he took in all the features of everything he saw, starting with the girl.

The young woman was actually quite pretty, she had slightly pale skin, she had honey blond hair that framed her face with gentle curls and her eyes dark brown in color. Though her eyes did not show the usual emotion Neal could usually see in everybody's eyes. Humor. Happiness. Fear. Shock. Anger. Her eyes were dark. Only one true emotion filling them. Hate. Blinking, Neal looked away from her, and noticed that they were in some sort of basement, though of what building, he had no idea.

Again, Neal blinked, and tried to move, only to find that he was tied tight to a metal pole. His gaze shifted back to the girl and he glared at her in annoyance. "Who are you? What do you want?" He snapped, sounding angry. That was almost a rare emotion for the ex-con. He never seemed angry, or when he was, he usually hid it well.

The young woman chuckled darkly. "My name is Sasha Storm. And as for what I want, that is simple. I want Peter Burke to suffer the way I did when he killed my brother."

Neal's blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Peter doesn't kill unless he has to, so I'm sure your brother deserved it." He retorted, glaring at Sasha. He saw her hand flash forward, and felt sharp agony rip through him as her hand connected with his chest, right where he got shot. He couldn't help utter out a cry of pain.

"Take that back Neal Caffrey!" Sasha Storm's dark brown eyes held the light of rage in them. "You take that back right now, or else you will regret it!"

"Oh really? What are you going to do? Shoot me again?" Neal replied, finding it a bit hard to breath. Sasha gazed at the young man for a long moment before she turned around to the two men just behind her.

"Jason. Mark. Stand him up. He needs a lesson in manners." Sasha barked out the orders, watching as the two men hauled the ex-con to his feet. "Now Neal, I will give you one chance to take back what you said about your partner killing my brother." She said, watching him. "If you don't, you will regret it."

Neal let out a small laugh, wincing at the pain in his chest flickered throughout him. "I will not apologize for the truth." He replied, holding his head high even though he knew he was in for it. Then, he saw Sasha smile grimly before she struck, hitting Neal right in the gut, driving the breath out of him. He doubled over slightly, going as far as he could go with both being tied up and held by the two thugs. He felt pain in his ribs, chest, stomach. Everywhere Sasha hit, pain followed. Finally, after about an hour of getting beaten by her, she stepped over to the thug on his right side, Jason. She tapped him once and then took his place, now holding Neal. Her grip was merciless throughout Jason's round of beating Neal, hitting the young ex-con everywhere. In the face. In the chest. The stomach. Every part of Neal's upper torso.

Then it was Mark's turn. "Untie him and let him go. I want to see how he reacts." Mark said quietly, and as Sasha and Jason did so, he studied Neal Caffrey. The young man didn't look so great. A black eye was forming on the right side of his face, his lips were split and bleeding, and it looked as if his nose had been broken. He watched the young man sway as Sasha and Jason backed away from him. Mark's lips twitched into a fierce smile. This would be all too easy.

With a fierce yell, Mark darted forward, ramming into the ex-con, throwing him backwards, straight into the metal pole that he had been tied to. He watched as the young man's features lit with pain, his blue eyes holding a sort of dead, hollow look in them. Mark's right fist swung upward, connecting with the lower part of Neal's ribcage. He heard a few sharp cracking sounds, which told Mark he had broken a few of Caffrey's ribs. He struck the young man again, this time in the chest, and when he pulled his hand away, he could see blood leaking through the ex-con's shirt.

On and on, the beating proceeded, until finally, Jason had to drag Mark away from Neal Caffrey, who now had a broken arm, a few broken ribs, a broken nose, a black eye, bruises covering the entire upper part of his body, blood staining his shirt from his chest wound, and split, slightly swollen, bleeding lips. Sasha, seeming not satisfied, grabbed a knife from a nearby shelf. She stalked over to Neal and shoved him up against a wall before she sent the knife straight into the young man's left shoulder. It wasn't until she heard him howl in pain that she ripped the knife out of his shoulder and stepped back as blood soaked the entire left side of his shirt. Neal sank to the floor, his blue eyes uncharacteristically dull and vacant as he stared off into the middle of nowhere. He had gotten in a couple of good blows to Mark, but it hadn't been enough. His face was extremely pale in color, and it didn't really look like he was breathing, which wasn't really surprising as he had been finding it hard to breath anyway. He had gone into shock, and within seconds, he was unconscious.

Sasha, satisfied, for now at least, pulled out a phone and made a phone call as Jason dragged the unconscious ex-con back over to the metal pole they had tied him up to, and retied him to it.

**Peter-**

Peter glared at the card that had been inside Neal's phone. He had rushed over to his friend's apartment as fast as he could, but it had been too late. Neal had been gone, and there were definitely signs of a struggle. Peter was furious. With himself. He should have insisted Neal go home with him, but no...he hadn't even really thought of that as an option, and now, his partner was missing. So now he was sitting at home, trying to think, though finding it near impossible.

_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ Peter yelled at himself mentally. He had no idea where Neal was! They hadn't placed the tracking anklet on him, no, they were going to do that tomorrow morning. Well, too late now!

Peter nearly leaped five feet in the air when his phone started ringing. With an annoyed sigh, he flipped it open.

"Burke." He said.

_"Enjoying yourself Agent Burke?"_ A voice asked. Peter shot bolt right up.

"Sasha! Let me speak to Neal right now!" He spat, one fist clenching into a fist. It was the one that held the card Sasha Storm had left behind.

_"I'm afraid I can't do that..."_ Sasha's voice held a dark humor to it.

"What did you do to him?" Peter growled, furious.

_"Nothing too serious. He's just in shock right now from the beating we delivered to him."_ Sasha laughed. Peter sat there, frozen with fear for his friend, and very angry.

"You beat him? WHY?" Peter was yelling now.

_"Do you remember when you killed Alex Storm?"_

"Alex Storm, the one who stole a million dollars worth of paintings?"

_"Yes. Glad you do remember him. Remember that girl who promised revenge because you killed her partner? That was me. And what better way to get revenge than to kill __**your**__ partner before I take you out? Of course, I'm enjoying hearing you suffer, and I know __**I**__ enjoyed watching your partner get thrashed."_

"Touch him again, and you will regret it. Kill him and you die." Peter's voice was cold, clipped.

_"I doubt that."_ Came the reply. _"I'd hurry Agent Burke...your pet con won't be able to hold on much longer, especially with the bomb that will go off in 24 hours. Oops. Sorry I let that slip."_ Sasha's voice was filled with sarcasm at the end, and there was a click, telling Peter she had hung up. Peter sat there, stiff with shock as Sasha's words replayed in his mind.

_Your pet con can't hold on much longer, especially with the bomb that will go off in the next 24 hours..._

Peter dialed a number on his phone quickly.

"Jones! We need to find Caffrey! Now!"


	4. Too Late?

_**Chapter 4**_

**Neal-**

Neal Caffrey had taken many beatings ever since he became a FBI Consultant. This one was no worse than the others. Or at least, that's what he told himself when he finally regained consciousness. He let out a groan of pain when he tried to move, finding himself retied to the metal pole, hands behind his back as a dull throb pulsed in his arm. Slowly, he opened his eyes, though he shut them fairly quickly. It took a few tries, but finally, the young man able to open the and keep them open. Trying to move his wrists, to see how tightly he was bound, he felt the dull throb in his arm morph into a fierce flash of pain. His teeth clenched together to keep him from giving a small cry from the pain. He strained to turn his head around so he could see why he hurt so much, and noted his arm at such an awkward angle. Broken. Seeing that, memories started to flood his mind.

_Getting shot. Peter being at the hospital with him. Getting kidnapped. Peter being on the phone at the time. Waking up and learning who kidnapped him and why. Angering one of his captors so she and her accomplices beat the heck out of him. Hearing the faint sound of Peter on the phone with the girl, Sasha, before total darkness took him._

_Was it worth it? Was defending Peter worth this?_ Neal asked himself, though he knew the answer. Yes, it was worth it. Peter was his friend, Neal trusted him, and somehow, he had the feeling that he would give his life to save Peter, just as Peter would probably do for him. He blinked several times, noticing a phone laying on the ground next to him. With a small groan, he rolled, crashing to the ground with a yell of pain as the rope tying his hands snapped, and he hit his broken arm, but, his arms were free from there bonds. He grabbed the phone and dialed one number.

_"Neal? Hang on, I'm right outsi-" _Peter's voice spoke through the phone as Neal heard a loud _BOOM_ and not half a second passed before the building collapsed on top of his, burying him in the rubble. Faintly, he heard Peter yelling. _"NEAL! NEAL!"_

"Peter..." He managed to whisper, feeling his consciousness slipping, and soon, the world swirled into darkness.

**Peter-**

(About One Hour Before That...)

Peter was in the office. When Sasha had hung up, he had called Jones straight away and explained the situation as he drove to the office. He didn't sleep, he couldn't sleep, he was afraid for Neal. Over and over, the conversation he had had with Sasha Storm kept replaying in his mind.

_I'm afraid I can't do that..._

_What did you do to him?_

_Nothing too serious, he's just in shock from the beating we delivered him..._

Peter winced slightly. Neal was in hurt and in shock because of him. It was his fault. No matter what Caffrey had said, this was Peter's fault. If he hadn't killed Alex Storm...Neal wouldn't have had to go through this. Peter blinked, remembering the day he had shot Alex.

_"FBI! Drop the weapon!" Peter had cried, pointing a gun at the man in front of him, who was cowering behind a young man, probably about 15, if Peter had to guess. It had been the middle of summer, and Peter had just joined the FBI about a year back, and Alex Storm was a notorious drug dealer and mass murderer. He was also a great thief. Either way you looked at it, he was going to go to jail. However, this time, Alex had stolen a million dollars worth of paintings, and he was planning to sell them to become extremely rich. He had been on the run for several days, but Peter had managed to catch up to him, to find that Alex Storm held a young man, with dark, wavy brown hair and piercing blue eyes, hostage. He had a gun held to the young man's temple._

_"Not one step closer!" Alex had screamed at him. "I swear I will kill him! Not one step closer!"_

_"Alex, it doesn't have to end this way! Drop your weapon!" Peter had called to the desperate criminal, though his gaze was fixed on the young man's face. He seemed afraid, you could see it in his eyes, but he kept his face clean of all emotions. Peter shifted forward slightly but froze when a maddened look came into Alex's face. He knew what the criminal would do. "NO!" He had yelled, pulling the trigger to his weapon._

_He had watched as Alex's body jerked, and fell to the ground dragging the young man he had been holding, with him. The boy let out a cry of shock as he wriggled free of the now-dead Alex Storm's grasp. Peter rushed forward, supporting the young man as he stood. He saw the kid pick up a hat off the ground and place it on his head, which was covered in a thin sheet of sweat. Peter looked at Alex's body for a moment, wishing that this could have ended differently than it had. His brown eyes flickered back over to the young man in time to see him put that strange hat on._

_"What is that?"_

_"A hat."_

_"What is it called?" Peter had clarified with a roll of his eyes. The kid was a total smart-aleck!_

_"A fedora."_

Peter blinked. Now that he really though about it, the kid reminded him of Neal! Suddenly, Jones rushed towards Peter.

"We found where he is!" He yelled. Peter bolted to his feet. He had to get to Neal, the 24 hours were almost up.

"Where?" He demanded, and as soon as Jones gave him the directions, he took off. He knew that once Jones found Diana, they would follow, but Peter was leaving to go to Neal at that very instant. He would find Neal.

(Present Time...)

Peter blinked as he stopped his car outside a ruined building. Chunks of it were weathered down and scattered all over the ground. _Neal is in there...hang on buddy! _He started forward when his phone rang. He glared at the phone for a second before he stared in astonishment. It was Neal!

"Neal? Hang on, I'm right outsi-" Peter broke off as and loud _BOOM!_ sounded, and he was thrown backwards from the force of the explosion, staring in horror as the building crumbled and came crashing down. "NEAL! NEAL!" He screamed.

On the other end, he heard a faint whisper. "Peter..."

"Neal? Neal?" Peter called into the phone, silence answering him. Peter stared in horror at the collapsed building. Neal was alive, but he was buried in there. He blinked as Neal's words came back to him, the first time Peter truly realized that he and Neal had become friends.

_You're the only one._

_The only one what?_

_The only person in my life that I trust._

Peter scrambled to his feet. _Hang on Neal...I'll get you out of there._ He vowed. _And then I'll find Sasha Storm and make sure she pays for what she has done._


	5. Taken

_**Chapter 5**_

**Neal-**

Neal Caffrey woke to the sound of faint shouting and waves of pain rolling over him. He blinked, letting out a small groan as he tried to find out where the source of the shouting was coming from, and why he hurt so. He let out a small whimper as he tried to move, finding that his broken arm lay pinned by a large piece of the rubble from the building. He looked upwards, wondering how he was still alive, when he saw the answer. The metal pole he had been tied to had been knocked to where it stood over him at an angle, part of it laying on top of him, almost crushing him as it supported a fair part of a chunk of the building on it. He shuddered, thinking about how close he could have been to dying from being crushed under it.

The shouting grew louder, more frantic, and his blue gaze flickered around to find the source of the shouting, and realized it was coming from the phone he had used to call Peter. Reaching out towards the phone, fingers outstretched and his face lit with pain, he managed to drag to phone closer to him, pushing the speaker button so he could hear better.

_"...Neal, are you there? Damn it Neal, answer me!"_ Peter's voice seemed almost high-pitched from what sounded like fear. Neal blinked slowly, trying to shift through the fogginess that clouded his mind.

"Pe...eter." He rasped out, shocked at the sound of his voice. It sounded off, weird, not like him at all. Apparently, Peter noticed too.

_"Neal! Neal, are you ok? No, of course you aren't ok, a building collapsed on you and you don't sound good to begin with..."_ Neal noticed Peter hesitate before his friend, his best friend, began to speak again. _"A-are you hurt badly?"_

"That depends. What's your definition of bad?" He asked, almost sarcastically. He heard hear Peter give a weak chuckle.

_"Always the smart-aleck."_ Came the reply.

"Of course." Neal said, giving a small chuckle only to break off with a bout of coughing.

_"Neal?" _Peter sounded so concerned as he said Neal's name.

"It's ok Peter...I'm...I'm fine. Just do me a favor."

_"Anything."_

"Hurry." Neal's voice was a whisper as he spoke, pulling the phone closer to him so Peter had the chance of hearing him.

_"Of course..."_ Peter paused before continuing. _"Neal?"_

"Hmm?"

_"Keep talking to me. Please."_

"I'll try to Peter. It's...harder to talk every second that passes."

_"I know Neal...hang on, we'll get you out of there."_

"I know. I trust you Peter. I know you'll get me out of here."

**Peter-**

Peter swallowed as he heard Neal tell him that he trusted him. His friend sounded so exhausted, and his voice was filled with pain. He had noticed Neal had never really answered his question when he had asked him if he was hurt bad. And then, when he had said Neal's name, he had said he was fine, but Peter knew the young man all too well. Neal would say he was fine even if he was dying.

_Need to get him out of there...doesn't sound like he can hold on much longer... _Peter thought with a frown, turning towards the people, construction workers, FBI Agents, police, paramedics, all the people who had shown up soon after Peter had called it in that the building had collapsed with Neal inside. Meanwhile, he had bruised and bloodied his hands clearing away a small part of the rubble while screaming his friend's name into the phone when he hadn't answered. The paramedic's had taken care of his hands, wrapped them in bandages, and although they told him he shouldn't do any more digging, he was anyway. He could feel the glares of annoyance and hear the sighs of exasperation coming from everyone but the FBI Agents, who knew how important Neal was to him, and so on and on, through the hours, he and everyone had worked.

"So, Neal..." Peter's voice trailed off, unsure of what in the world it was that he should say.

_"How are you Peter?" _He heard Neal ask, barely audible, though the voice was concerned, before the young man broke off into a series of harsh coughs. Peter grimly waited it out, telling himself that Neal would be out of the rubble soon.

"I'm fine Neal. It's you I'm worried about."

_"Worried. I'm touched." _Came the quiet, yet sarcastic reply. Peter smiled slightly, and then felt a rush of pure shock as he head Neal continue. _"You are close, I can hear you when you speak."_

"You can hear me right now, not phone wise, but you can hear my voice as if I were close to you?" He asked, stunned.

_"Yeah." _Came the weak reply. Weaker than all the others, which automatically alarmed Peter worse than before.

"Do you think you can knock on something? Hang on." He asked, whirling around, signaling to everyone else to shut up and listen. "Go for it Neal." A few seconds later, a very small tapping sound came a few feet from Peter, to his left. He pointed to it, and everyone rushed over, clearing away the giant pile of rubble that covered where the tapping had been coming from. Peter could hear Neal coughing hard, and as he dug for his friend, his bandaged hands starting to bleed again, Peter was about to tell Neal that everything would be ok, they were there, they'd get to him soon, when he had noticed that Neal had stopped coughing, and he wasn't saying anything.

"Neal?" Peter asked, fear gripping him, just as fear gripped everyone else, making them freeze. "Neal? Neal? Come on buddy, answer me." There was no answer. Peter dropped the phone instantly and began throwing rubble to the side, moving swiftly. "Hang on Neal! Hang on!" He yelled, everyone moving just as quickly as he did, dust filling the air as the rubble was being thrown to the side. Then, they hit a wall. A big wall. "Dig around it! See if there is another way!" Peter ordered when they couldn't get through it, digging frantically. Everyone did as told until finally, Peter heard Jones call out.

"Here! I can see him!" Peter leaped over a small pile of rock towards the FBI Agent, and as he reached Jones' side, he too could see Neal. His friend was covered in a chalky white layer of dirt, one hand stretched out beside him, palm upward, fingers curled as his head rested against the wall that they hadn't been able to get through. Next to his head was the phone he had been using to talk to Peter. Even with the layer of dirt covering his friend, he could tell that Neal was covered in bruises, his lips covered with dried blood, and from the looks of it, one of the young man's arms was broken, trapped under a piece of rubble. What terrified Peter the most though, was the fact that Neal didn't look like he was breathing.

"NEAL!" Peter cried out, squeezing his way through the gap that was now being expanded so they could get Caffrey out. He lightly touched his friend's wrist, rubbing away the chalky white dirt on his friend to notice two things. The young man's wrists were rubbed raw, and his skin was alarmingly cool. Peter blinked, his hand hovering over Neal's mouth, then his eyes widened in alarm. The young man _wasn't_ breathing, and looking closely, Peter could see that Neal's lips were tinged blue. "Oh god Neal! Come on, breath! Breathe Neal!" Peter said, performing CPR to his partner. A few minutes passed, though it seemed like an eternity to Peter, before Neal took in a ragged gasp.

As Peter breathed a sigh of relief, the ex-con's eyes fluttered open, unfocused for a moment before they finally landed on Peter. "I...kn-knew you'd fi...nd me." He heard the young man breath.

"Of course I would. Next time I'm going to put that anklet on you the moment you get out of the hospital. Not wait until morning." Peter replied, smiling slightly, relieved. Neal gave a small chuckle, but then his head fell to the side, his eyes closed. He was unconcious. Peter watched his friend grimly, carefully pulling free the young man's broken arm from out of underneath the rubble. Then, he gently dragged the unconcious man out into fresh air, and into the light. Then, Peter let an outraged gasp, seeing the full extent of his partner's injuries. Broken nose, broken arm, his head was bleeding a little, he had various bruises covering him, ranging from a deep purple to black. Neal's clothes were torn, showing a few bruises on his chest, and when the paramedic's touched his chest, they declared that the young man had a few broken ribs as well as a reopened bullet wound in the chest and a new stab wound in his shoulder.

_You'll pay for this Sasha! _He thought to himself, watching as they loaded Neal into an ambulance and drove him to the hospital. They wouldn't let him go with Neal, which he found annoying, but he could understand it. Besides, he had to go and explain all of what happened to Elizabeth.

(At Peter's House...)

Peter walked in the door, tiredly rubbing his eyes before he noticed the strange silence, and then saw Elizabeth laying on her stomach, on the ground. He rushed over to her, his eyes wide as he flipped his wife over, and once he realized that she was alive, but knocked out, he looked up, too late. A young woman and a man were there, the woman he recognized as Sasha Storm.

"You hurt my friend and partner!" He growled Sasha. Her lips twitched slightly.

"Yes, he wasn't supposed to die. The young man is like the Terminator and the Energizer Bunny. He just won't die and he keeps going and going." Came the reply. Peter smirked. Yeah, that sounded like Neal. Peter stiffened when he felt the muzzle of a gun being pressed against his head. There was sudden pain, and the word spiraled into darkness, the last thing he heard was Sasha speaking.

"Grab them both. We don't want his wife to go to his FBI friends, and I don't think Neal Caffrey will be able to help him for a long while..."


	6. Over

_**Chapter 6**_

**Neal-**

Dimly, Neal began to wake, his senses coming to him as he heard the steady beeping of a monitor next to him. His blue eyes fluttered open, closing after a few seconds, but soon opened and stayed open. The young man blinked. No Peter. No Elizabeth. Neal felt a pang of worry, hearing the slight acceleration of his heart thanks to the monitor. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. It probably meant nothing...no, that wasn't right. They would have been there. Something was not right. When the young man opened his eyes, he saw Jones standing next to him, the look on the Agent's face terrified Neal. It was so...bleak. He watched as Jones took a deep breath, and then began to speak.

"She got Peter and Elizabeth."

Neal froze at the words. No questions asked as to who had gotten his friends, he knew. Sasha Storm. He dimly heard the crazy beeping of the monitors. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything. Not right now.

"Mr. Caffrey. Please, you have to calm down! Sir, calm down!" He heard the frantic talking of a nurse, and his blue gaze fixed on her.

"Let me out of here." He said, his voice sort of raspy. No surprise there. The nurse gasped in shock.

"Sir, you can't leave here! You need treatment! Medical attention! You. Can't. Leave." She said, still trying to calm him down. Neal closed his eyes, turning his head to the side until the beeping on the monitors slowed back to normal again, though his mind was in turmoil.

"Just go." He muttered, waiting until he heard both of them leave, though before Jones left, he lightly patted on of Caffrey's legs, clipping on the tracking anklet on his ankle and saying that they would find Peter. No you won't. I will. He wanted to snap at Jones. Somehow...

Neal opened his eyes, staring at the call button. He was allowed to be able to call people, and he knew just who to call. A few seconds later, he heard the phone ringing, and then a voice speak.

"Mozz? I need your help."

_"Neal! You're awake! Oh jeez, I'm so glad! I was so worried! What do you need?"_

"I need to break out of the hospital."

_"YOU WHAT?"_ Neal winced, hearing his friend's voice.

"Mozzie. Cool it. Peter's in trouble. He needs my help."

_"You just got in the hospital Neal! The Suit can take care of himself!"_

"Mozzie." Neal's voice was firm. "I am going to help him one way or another."

_"Ugh...Fine. I'll be right there."_ Mozzie finally said, then there was a sharp click signaling the end of the call.

_Hang on Peter._

(About 30 Minutes Later...)

Neal stared at Mozzie, watching his friend pace the room. He knew that Mozzie didn't approve of him breaking out of the hospital, but Neal wasn't about to wait and risk Peter's life because he waited. He knew Sasha hated Peter. He knew she wanted to see him dead. Neal couldn't allow that. Wouldn't allow it.

"Ready Mozzie?" He asked weakly, getting to his feet, swaying slightly. Mozzie gave a grave nod, handing the young man his normal, everyday clothes that came from his closet, and his infamous fedora. Neal flashed his friend a smile before he went to the bathroom, appearing a few minutes later, looking comfortable in the clothes despite the fact that his face was white as a sheet and every movement felt like fire ripping through him. "Let's get this started." He said with a grin. Mozzie looked at Neal, shaking his head slightly at the nerve of his friend before he nodded slightly.

"You are crazy, but the Suit means a lot to you. I understand that." Mozzie said, as he walked to the door, Neal following.

"I trust him." Came Neal's reply. Mozzie knew that though. He knew Neal trusted Peter more than anyone. He had shown it several times.

"Get ready." Mozzie said, before walking forward towards the nurse. "Excuse me miss, I uh-" Mozzie stopped, falling to the floor, his eyes closed, one hand twitching slightly. Neal let out a small grin as the nurses and doctors rushed to Mozzie. He knew his friend would stall them long enough for him to escape. He darted forward, moving surprisingly fast for a man with injuries such as his. Soon, he was out of the building, pausing only to glance back to see Mozzie getting to his feet, looking shaky, but he knew it was just an act. He turned his head and started down the street, his face covered in a thin sheet of cold sweat. He had to make one stop before he went to get Peter and Elizabeth free...

**Peter-**

Peter stared at Sasha Storm. The young blond girl was ranting on and on about how Neal should have died, Alex shouldn't have been killed by him, how innocent Alex really had been, why he had held the kid in the fedora hostage and how much Peter was going to be sorry for killing Alex. Peter let out a weary sigh. He now knew who the two men had been, as the person who had hit him had indeed been male. Jason and Mark. He had heard Sasha say their names while she thought he was still unconscious. He had heard her plans of killing Neal after he and Elizabeth were dead.

_They better not. _He had thought, and now, he and Elizabeth were awake, and Sasha knew it. He heard Elizabeth whimper as she watched Sasha pace. Peter turned his head towards his wife slightly, turning as much as he could with the bonds of thick rope that firmly secured his and Elizabeth's wrists, chest and legs to chairs, while their mouths were blocked of speech because of the mouth gags that had been placed on them. He couldn't do anything as Sasha darted forward, her fist connecting with Peter's stomach, forcing all the air out of him. He heard Elizabeth yell as well as she could, trying to speak through her mouth gag.

Sasha snapped her fingers, causing Jason and Mark to come forward, tipping Peter's chair to the side, sending him crashing to the ground before they grabbed it and started dragging him away. "ELIZABETH!" He tried to scream, but couldn't get the words past the gag. He felt so helpless, being dragged away as he saw Sasha snap something at Elizabeth before the blond girl struck his wife. He saw Elizabeth's body go limp, as she was knocked out. Peter struggled, but it was no use. A few moments later, he was facing a bathtub, filled with water. Peter felt slightly sick, seeing the water, knowing he was going to die. Sasha was right...she'd get her revenge. The next thing he knew, his head was underwater. He struggled automatically, his limbs jerking as he tried to get air. Then he heard the most peculiar noise. Two popping sounds, and then he was being dragged out of the water. He blinked rapidly, trying to see who it was that had saved him, and his eyes widened in astonishment as he gazed at the extremely pale and worried looking Neal. Neal removed the gag that blocked Peter from speaking, and untied the ropes that bound the FBI Agent as well.

"Neal? How?" Peter asked, stunned to see his partner there. In all honesty, Neal shouldn't have been allowed out of the hospital yet!

"Broke out." Neal muttered. Oh, well, that explained it. Peter caught sight of Jason and Mark on the ground, blood pooled around them, and then saw the handgun Neal had used, trembling in the young man's grip. Peter got to his feet, starting out the door and towards the motionless form of Elizabeth while Neal looked down a hallway. He heard Peter yelp, and Neal turned exhausted blue eyes towards to see Sasha, pointing a gun at Peter's temple. Peter stared at at Neal, and saw the young man flinch slightly before the blue eyes of his friend went hard.

"This reminds me of something. I was 15 years old, and some con was holding me hostage. An FBI Agent, Peter, came charging in out of nowhere and the two had had a conversation. The next thing I know is that the con, Alex Storm, is on the ground dead and Peter is asking me what type of hat I wear." Peter could hear Neal as the ex-con spoke quietly, though the words traveled across the space between them, he felt Sasha stiffen slightly, and Peter felt a flash of surprise as well. He had guessed correctly when he had thought the kid with the fedora was Neal. A younger Neal.

"Do you trust me Peter?" Neal asked quietly. Peter nodded.

"Not one step closer! I swear I'll kill him! Not one step closer!" The FBI Agent heard Sasha yell at Neal, and then he heard the young man's reply.

"Funny. That's what he said." Neal replied, pointing the handgun he held at Sasha with a shaking grip. Peter could see the young man was fighting to hang on to his consciousness. Sasha let out a bark of laughter, and Peter felt her grip on the gun shift as she prepared to kill him.

"You couldn't hit me if you tried! You are too weak!" She sneered at the ex-con. Peter saw determination flash across his friend's face, and then the report of a gun as it went off. Peter didn't feel any pain, no darkness swept him, and he turned his head slightly and saw Sasha stagger, red spreading across her shirt. Then she fell, her eyes wide as she hit the ground, letting out a choking gasp from pain and shock before her brown eyes went dim, and fixed sightlessly on the ceiling. Peter turned his head back to Neal, and saw the ex-con was shaking. He darted over to his friend and pried the gun from the young man's grasp. He had never thought Neal would kill, and to kill three people, just for him and Elizabeth, stunned Peter.

"Easy Neal." Peter said, worried about the whiter-than-a-sheet color Neal had gone to. He shouldn't be out of the hospital, but he had come, risking his health and well-being for him. Peter knew this, and it worried him.

"I'm fine Peter...go check on Elizabeth." Peter heard Neal speak, just barely though. He lightly patted the ex-con's shoulder before he got to his feet and walked over to Elizabeth, surprised to see her blinking up at him.

"You ok?" He asked her, untying her and removing the gag. She nodded slowly, continuing to gaze at Peter before her gaze slid past him to stare at Neal. Her eyes widened a tiny fraction as Peter heard a small thud. He turned his head to see the young man sitting down, his head resting on his chest. Peter had to do a double take to detect the faint rise and fall on the ex-con's chest.

There was a loud bang, and Peter stood quickly, his eyes wary until he saw it was only Jones and other members of the FBI. "Jones! You found us! How?"

"Caffrey's anklet. Hospital says he vanished after Mozzie started stirring things up, and we tracked him here." Jones replied, looking at Peter in surprise as he saw the gun in Peter's hand. Peter glanced down at it and felt a flash of relief that he had taken it from Neal. If they would seen him with it, he'd have back behind bars faster than the blink of an eye.

"Yeah. Neal's over there. He...distracted them. Sasha and them are dead." Peter said quickly, glancing at Elizabeth, hoping she wouldn't say anything about what really happened. He didn't have to worry though, she understood, for she was nodding in agreement. "Neal's over there, I think he's unconscious. Getting here was hard on him, and then distracting them wiped him out."

"He shouldn't have been here to begin with." Came Jones' reply. Peter nodded, still touched that Neal had risked so much for him. Him and Elizabeth. Peter got to his feet and walked over to Neal, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder, surprised when Neal jerked, and looked at him.

"You ok?" Peter asked. Neal hesitated, but nodded, causing Peter to roll his eyes. Of course Neal would say that he was ok, who did Peter think he was kidding? Neal always said he was ok. "You are going back to the hospital." He informed his friend. He brushed aside the hair that was, damp from sweat, plastered to the ex-con's forehead. Tired blue eyes stared at him, but Neal nodded slowly.

Peter helped the young man to his feet a few minutes later. "You have to get better, we'll have plenty of cases to solve." He said with a grin, earning a faint smile from Neal as they walked out, Elizabeth and a few others trailing after them.

"It's over Peter...we got her. It's over..." That was the last thing Peter heard Neal murmur before the young man fell unconscious.

"Yeah...it's over." Peter replied quietly, supporting his friend until they reached the paramedics, who took over from there, and transported Neal back to the hospital.


End file.
